Misguided Direction
by Crunchycrackers
Summary: When Lisanna comes back to the guild from Edolas, things become more frustratingly complicated between Natsu and Lucy. Will their friendship be able to blossom into something more or will they slowly drift apart? Well, a fatal mission will help us decide that.
1. Chapter 1: Heartbreak

**Hello! This is my first fanfiction and I would appreciate any feedback whatsoever and hope this is a good contribution to NaLu. All right, happy reading!(:**

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I do not own Fairy Tail. ;(**

* * *

Natsu smiled happily to a certain beautiful white-haired mage, "I can't wait to tell this to tell this to the guild!"

Lisanna laughed, but then stopped abruptly, "But what about Lucy? I have the sneaking suspicion that she'll be..." Hesitation.

"Naww, we're best friends! Luce'll understand, don't worry Lis!" he cheekily replied. She smiled beautifully, both teens laughing it off as if there was no care in the world.

And boy, was he wrong.

* * *

"Urgh, Levy-chan! I don't think I can do this anymore."

"Mm, don't worry Lu-chan! I'll be cheering for you in the sidelines. Besides, I think it's about time the two of you have gotten together," she spoke deliberately and reassured her for the thousandth time. Lucy sucked in a deep breath.

"You're right... I need to man up and tell him how I feel. Thanks Levy," she replied gratefully, feeling much more reinvigorated than before. As if on cue, the large guild doors were opened, or rather was _slammed_, by none other than Natsu with Lisanna following close up behind him. "Here goes.." she mumbled nervously. Gathering all of her courage, Lucy confidently strides towards Natsu. It took no longer than two steps before he shouted the words that she had never expected to hear in a million years.

"Me and Lisanna are together!" Almost everyone in the guild eyed Lucy cautiously before congratulating them both with pats on the back and bone-crushing hugs.

"Oh, Lu-chan..." Levy muttered sympathetically. Natsu marched in front of Lucy with Lisanna close by and gave her a gentle hug.

"So what do you think?" he asked happily. When no response came out, Natsu came up and flicked her forehead. "Lucy, you all right?"

After spacing out for a few moments, she finally went back to reality as she felt some harsh flicks onto her forehead. "Wha- oh, yeah! I think it's great that the two of you are together now! Congratulations, Natsu!" she replied quickly and cheerfully, trying her best to keep up with her happy façade. "Oh! That reminds me, I found this mission and I was wondering if you were busy or not. Lisanna is welcome to join as well?"

"Naww, sorry Lucy. Lisanna and I have all ready planned this mission of finding a rare jewel deep within the Purple Forest. You could come with us if you want!"

"Ahh.. I see. It's fine! I'll just ask someone else to do the mission with me. Thanks for the offer though!" With that, she left them before they could reply and started walking towards Gray to ask him instead.

"Sure, Lucy. But weren't you going to go with Natsu instead?" he asked. Her eyes suddenly found the floor interesting.

"Yeah.. but he was going to do another mission with Lisanna all ready, and I didn't want them to cancel it just because of me."

"All right, Lucy. So when does it start?" his eyes gazed onto her gloomy figure and silently cursed at the dense dragon slayer who had been the cause of all this. At his response, she perked up and answered excitedly.

"Meet me at the Magnolia Train this afternoon at 4! Thanks a bunch, Gray!" After talking and updating each other on what was currently happening with their lives, Lucy trudged home to prepare for the mission. As she lay on her bed in complete silence, she suddenly broke down and cried out every ounce of the despair she had been holding in until now. As she slowly drifted off to sleep, she numbly thought that no one in the guild would ever understand the true feeling of heartbreak.

* * *

**Hehe.. yeah. Sorry about this short chapter guys. Also I would like to point out that I have particularly nothing against Lisanna and I apologize if I make her seem like a bitch as the story progresses. I still hope you enjoyed it and thanks for reading! GOO NALU**


	2. Chapter 2: Mission gone haywire

Red streaks of sunlight splayed onto her face, showing the remnants of a late afternoon. "Mm.." Lucy hummed aloud. Rubbing her eyes, she slowly wakes up from her mini beauty sleep. "What time is it?" she asked, talking to no one in particular. She glanced at the clock. "3:50," she yawned. Waiit.. what?

.

.

.

_3:50?!_

"AHHH! BAKA BAKA BAKA!" she shouted. Suddenly, everything was crashing down on her as she remembered the events earlier: how numb she felt once Natsu's and Lisanna's relationship was official, being rejected by Natsu, and how she was supposed to be at a certain train station 10 minutes from now. With Gray. A dog's bark responded to the sudden noise in the distance. After shedding a few stray tears, brief moments of collecting herself and rushing to get her things packed and ready for the mission, she broke off into a full sprint towards the Magnolia train station.

"Over here, Lucy! I didn't know you could be such a slow poke!" he shouted, waving his arm to show his presence. He chuckled at the comical sight before him as she frantically ran towards him with as much speed as she could muster.

"I'm here," she managed out.

"Well, good timing, we were just about to board the train," he replied, eyes shining in amusement. Lucy smiled, nodding in response. As they boarded the train, each sat opposite each other and remained in comfortable silence. Once the train started moving, Gray finally decided that it was the right time to discuss about Natsu with his friend. "So, about you and Natsu.." Gray started.

"E-eh? What about me and Natsu?" she asked.

"Well, ever since he asked Lisanna out, you've been acting pretty strange lately, and you know.. you could always relate to a friend to talk it out..?" he scratched his head, thinking hard on how to approach without offending her.

She huffed stubbornly. "Well, it's not like I'm jealous or anything like that.. nope! Can we talk about something else now, please? Mm, let's talk about.. cows! Look, Gray! Brown cows," she pointed out the window, where there was indeed a group of brown and white cows. "I've never seen one of those before, only those stereotypical black and white cows."

"…" he sweat-dropped. "Okay."

They fell silent again. A part of her was chewing at her insides as she resisted the urge to tell him what was bothering her. She sighed, then huffed, then sighed again. It was Gray's turn to sigh this time. "What is it Lucy?"

"I, don't know actually," her mind was jumbled up from over-thinking it. He sighed again.

"It's pretty obvious, you know. The fact that you like Natsu," he stated aloud, hoping to knock back some sense into her. She stuttered.

"W-what? I don't like him! We're just really close friends, and I intend for it to stay that way," her eyes betraying her thoughts. She turned away in hopes that he could not see her current expression. "And besides, he's with Lisanna already, it's not like it'll make any difference." She whispered the last part, but knew it was loud enough for the ice-make mage to hear. He 'tsked' at this.

"No Lucy, it does make a difference, you just have to confront him and tell him how you feel. If you don't I will tell him for you," he told her. "It's better off to do it now than to look back and think what could have happened."

She looked up at him with hopeful eyes, "You really think so?"

"Well, I'm not some kind of philosopher, but I'll promise you that." Her eyes brightened, secretly noting to herself that she would help him at his time of need as he had just done for her now.

"Thanks Gray!" she stumbled off her seat to hug him.

"Yeah, don't mention it," he mumbled. The rest of the train ride went smoothly, and they have finally arrived at their destination, in which seemed like a desolated area filled with dirt and tumbleweeds.

Lucy sighed happily, feeling in higher spirits. Though, something seemed off. She shrugged it off as they came to the only stable building in town and hastily knocked on the door. Gray noticed the eerie feeling forming inside his stomach as they waited for someone to answer it. No answer.

"U-uh, they're probably not home, we should find a nearby town and come back another tiiiiiiiAHHHH!" Lucy screamed. Gray, now fully alert, quickly looks in Lucy's direction and saw a bunch of mages surrounding them.

"What the hell?" he shouted, hands joining to prepare his attack. Lucy reached for her keys. Wait.. her keys! What, what the hell? Didn't she bring th-? Oh, CRAP. SHE LEFT THEM IN THE BATHROOM. Wait 'til Aquarius hears this..

"Now now, no need to get feisty on me. So I've heard lots of things about you. I assume you are from the infamous guild, _Fairy Tail, _hmm?" a slightly short and slim man took a small step towards the two mages. He had cold blue eyes and black hair, similar to that of Gray but more intimidating and less muscular. Gray and Lucy gave off menacing glares, not liking the vibe that the man was giving off to them, the other mages surrounding the man feeling no different. "Oh? No answer, huh? Well, we will have to do something about that won't we?" His hands motioned for one of the mages to come forward. Before both mages could react, there were separated at once.

"Gray!"

"Lucy!"

Two groups formed a small circle around each of them and started tying them up in what seemed to be magical ropes. Before they could, Gray managed to freeze the ground beneath him and freeze their legs with it. He broke free and ran in Lucy's direction. He saw her, fighting with all her might, and realized she had forgotten her keys. _Idiot! _ He continued running towards her and Lucy noticed out of the corner of her eye. "Gray, we're getting nowhere with this!" As she said that, a mage attempted to tie her up again but just faced the harsh blow of her Lucy kick. "There's too many of them.. leave me Gray! I'll be okay! Come back with more help!" she pleaded, knowing that it would be hard for him to just leave her in this situation.

"Dammit!" he shouted angrily as the other group of mages started to break free from the ice. He just didn't see any other choice. "I'm sorry Lucy," he whispered. And with that, he ran off towards the direction of Magnolia.


	3. Chapter 3: Anger Management

Natsu seemed distracted throughout his whole mission with Lisanna. Why did he have this weird niggling feeling in his stomach for leaving Lucy like that? She's strong and capable of many things, so why? She did say something about a group of dark mages, which sound strangely familiar.. _argh! _

"Natsu! Focus on the mission, you haven't forgotten yet have you?" she teased.

"Huh, yeah. Lisanna? What did we have to do again? I forgot," he asked absent-mindedly. She simply gaped at him and huffed at his ignorance towards her. That's when something lit up in her brain. Smirking only slightly, she stepped onto her tippy toes and swiftly gave him a peck on each cheek. His eyes noticed Lisanna for the first time, eyes widening after processing what had happened..

Grinning devilishly, he looked dangerously about to see if anyone was nearby (which was strange for that to even cross his mind, given that he was in a desolated forest) and started chasing after her in preparation of a hardcore tickle attack. She giggled at this, and started running aimlessly through the Purple Forest until she tripped over a large lump that was hidden beneath purple (and oddly, _green_ polka-dotted) leaves. "Wha-?" she asked in a daze, her head spinning from impact. She eyed the lump curiously before uncovering it, and to her great astonishment, it was the gem. "Natsu, I found the gem!" she shouted happily, "and it's so beautiful!" Amazingly beautiful, indeed. It was a gorgeous aqua-green color and it stood out in the midst of the forest (scientifically speaking, it stood out b/c its chemical properties radiated a glowing _green_ in the _Purple_ Forest). In order to camouflage properly, it reflected the purple light from the forest, making it all the hard to find.

"What did I miss?" Natsu stopped his attempts to tickle her, for he had gotten tired of it a long time ago and settled with just chasing her instead for no particular reason. "And why are you staring at a rock..?" He stared at Lisanna in confusion.

"It's not a rock stupid," she giggled and rolled her eyes at his idiocy, "it's the gem we were searching for!"

He blinked a few times and scratched the back of his head. "That's what we were looking for?" he asked sheepishly. She sighed. Pursing her lips in a tight circle, she deliberately walked past him and ignored him the rest of the way. All that could be heard in the forest were the loud pleads for attention and constant complaints of boredom from a seemingly desperate and sorrowful man.

* * *

It took him days to reach the guild on foot. Bitter, painful, torturously long days. The guild was surprisingly peaceful (although in a good way) during that time, thanks to the absence of a certain dragon slayer. Managing to open the large guild doors, his body collapsed entirely in fatigue and exhaustion. Mirajane watched in horror as she took in the sight before her. "Wendy?" she gasped out.

"Already on it Mira-san! You can count on me!" She was already healing his minor cuts and bruises with precision and grace and worked her way up to the huge gash on the top of his forehead. With the last finishing touches, she stood up from her position to brush herself off, only to pass out from the toll the magic had taken on her. Before she hit the ground, Charle swooped in and came to the rescue, scolding the now unconscious girl.

"You need to stop pushing yourself Wendy! Look what you've gotten yourself into! You're lucky I was here to see this coming," she sighed and worried for her childhood friend.

"Waiiit, Charle! Do you want some fish?!" a familiar voice shouted out from behind. She could smell the fish nearby, and was dangerously tempted, but motherly instincts took over.

"Thanks for the offer Happy, but it is better if you just leave," she replied stubbornly, and continued her way towards Grandine's household.

Happy, feeling rejected and lonely as ever, flew to a corner and ate the fish in sorrowful silence.

Almost everyone in the guild crowded around Gray, watching his every movement and anxiously waiting for an explanation. Gray, feeling newly reborn and refreshed, slowly opened his eyes and stared at the hundred sets of eyes looking back into his expectantly.

"Where's Lu-chan, Gray?" Levy was able to place herself on the front (being small and petite did have its perks) and amber eyes showed concern for her friend.

"We.. were ambushed and I-I couldn't fucking save her!" he fist pounded the floor, and refused to look upon his guild members. His voice was hoarse from the lack of food and water, only adding on to the dramatic feel.

"I forgive you Gray-sama! Everyone makes mistakes!" a voice shouted out amidst the crowd.

"…"

"Gray, do not put this onto yourself. You tried your best and that is all that matters." Despite the sharp tip of her sword threateningly poking his neck, she sent reassuring words for her ice-make mage. "Now if you would tell us her whereabouts, we will come to her aid."

"About that.." he replied sheepishly, his hand scratching the back of his head. "I really don't know where they went." Everyone practically sweat-dropped at the comment.

"Well, I will need some more information in order to research these ambushers. So, while we still can, we could head back to the scene and search for some clues," Levy suggested.

"I have the paperwork for the mission!" an angelic voice chirped, whom Gray assumed was Mirajane. A bunch of 'excuse me's' and 'thank you's' could be heard amongst the murmurs of the crowd. As she trekked her way to the front, he could smell the pleasant aroma of food and orange juice. "I batched up some cheese sandwiches and juice, Gray. You must be starving!"

"Th-thanks Mira," he nodded gratefully. She smiled beautifully in response, long locks of silver hair flowing along her back and shoulder. You could make out a puff of steam erupting from the crowd if looked close enough.

"I'll cook for you Gray-sama!"

As Gray tried to ignore that last comment, the guild doors were slammed open by Natsu and Lisanna. "We're back guys!" The fire dragon slayer instinctively searched for blonde hair, but he found no trace of his favorite bubbly mage.

"…" Most had apparently lost interest in Gray's dramatic entrance and subjected to their seats.

"Just what I needed," he sighed. Despite the guild's strange behavior towards him, Natsu paid no heed.

"What did you say stripper?" he asked threateningly, now head-to-head in preparation of a manly brawl with Gray. Gray's forehead throbbed in anger and annoyance. As he never backs down from a challenge, they both settled for an intense staring contest between each other. Finally noticing the tensed atmosphere, Natsu immediately stopped his antics and looked about curiously. "What's up with you guys? Did something happen?" Not wanting to be the ones to tell him of Lucy's disappearance, they ignored him and continued to converse with each other. "Oi! I'm talking to you guys. Old man? Is this some sort of prank? This isn't funny!" he pestered and waved conspicuously in front of their faces. As he looked back towards the front door, he noticed Gray, Erza, Levy, Mirajane, and Lisanna stare at him with widened eyes.

"You ignorant fool," Makarov muttered, "you're still not catching on and it's been half an hour already." He remained cross-legged, not twitching in the slightest.

"Oi! That didn't answer my question. Why isn't anyone talking to me?" he continued bugging everyone, desperate for some answer.

"Natsu…" Erza growled, becoming sick of his pesters and an unfortunate tick appearing on her forehead. His head slowly turned in horror, for he saw the great Titania angered for reasons unknown.

"Y-Yeah? Me and Gray are the best of friends! No need for violence Erza!" he laughed forcibly and hooked an arm around Gray. Erza harshly punched Natsu square in the face, and her expression immediately changed from sour to calm.

"This settles things. Now, Natsu we are forging a rescue plan for Lucy and your pestering does not help our situation at hand." At this, Natsu became silent and was overwhelmed with shock.

"W-What the hell?" He turns to stare at Gray, who accompanied Lucy during the mission. His eyes cast downwards in shame, knowing how Natsu's overprotective being towards the celestial mage would result in him never forgiving him of his mistake.

"I-I know, I'm sorry man. I couldn't protect her, I-I didn't have any other cho-"

.

.

.

"Where is she?" Natsu had rammed him against a near wall, his rosy bangs covering his enraged eyes. Gray watched expectantly at the teen before him, eyes still expressing an unmistakable shame. The guild around him seemed dull in Natsu's eyes. "..where."

Gray widened his eyes only slightly as Natsu slowly lifted his head. "Is."

"..Lucy?" His eyes had grown a light green, the way it usually turns when in the heat of the battle.

Knocking out of his stupor, he choked out, "We're trying to figure that out right now.." Natsu's grip only tightened around his neck, lifting him higher off the ground.

"Natsu! Gray! Stop this madness," Erza shouted in concern for the both of them.

"Gray-sama!" (We all know who shouted this.) Both attempted to interfere, but held their ground when Gray motioned for them to stop. He knew Natsu needed this, and embraced for his attack.

"Natsu…" Lisanna whispered. Hearing her acknowledgement, he merely glanced at her before turning back to his victim.

Gray's eyes shut tightly, _here it comes. _Nothing happened. Confused, he peeked an eye open as he heard crumbling noises beside him. Natsu had punched a hole in the wall instead. "Dammit! This is all my fault. Why can't I protect the ones I care about?" _Especially her._

Gray shook his head. "You didn't know that this would happen. Nobody did. And we want to beat them up as much as you do, but right now, we need a plan."

"Mira-san, about the paperwork, can I see it?" Levy asked during a heavy silence, already brainstorming the possibilities of her current location.

"Of course Levy!" she replied cheerfully. As she skimmed through the papers for any sort of guidance, she abruptly glanced at Natsu and paled.

Lisanna stepped up and comforted her, "What is it Levy?"

"No-it can't, but it could be..w-why would they want Lucy though, it makes no sense!" she spluttered uncontrollably.

"Levy, any idea on who the culprit may be?" Erza demanded solemnly.

"W-Well, it's just a hunch, but I think the ones who have captured Lu-chan are from the guild Zanthos.."

Makarov raised an eyebrow at this, "Hmm? That could be a problem."

Everyone, who had been secretly listening to their conversation, murmured the same questions to one another, "Why did that guild sound so familiar?"

Levy mustered up her courage and spoke to the crowd, "They are the ones who have been in ruins for 10 years. The Magic Council posed them as a threat, and acted upon it before they could become stronger. A supposed giant meteor crashed onto their guild and they double checked for no survivors. It was also said to have been filled with haughty dragon slayers." _So that's why that place sounded so familiar._

They resumed their plans, and resolved to venture to the place where Lucy and Gray had been ambushed. As they tweaked and added onto their plan, Natsu impatiently tapped on his foot, mentally cursing himself for not being able to sense Lucy's foreboding danger. _Never again.. _he thought. And with that, he strode off to Lucy's apartment, pledging to stay by her side 24/7.


End file.
